1. A. Any officer of the Department of Public Safety or any other political subdivision of this state is hereby authorized to cause to be towed any vehicle found upon the roadway when:

   1. 1. Report has been made that such vehicle has been stolen or taken without the consent of its owner;
   2. 2. The officer has reason to believe the vehicle has been abandoned as defined in Sections 901 and 902 of this title;
   3. 3. The person driving or in control of such vehicle is arrested for an alleged offense for which the officer is required by law to take the person arrested or summoned before a proper magistrate without unnecessary delay; or
   4. 4. At the scene of an accident, when the owner or driver is not in a position to take charge of his vehicle and direct or request its proper removal.
2. B. Each officer of the Department shall use the services of the licensed wrecker operator whose location is nearest to the vehicle to be towed in all instances in subsection A of this section. The requests for services may be alternated or rotated among all such licensed wrecker operators who are located within a reasonable radius of each other. In like manner, such officer shall advise any person requesting information as to the availability of a wrecker or towing service, the name of the nearest licensed wrecker operator, giving equal consideration to all licensed wrecker operators located within a reasonable radius of each other. In cities of less than fifty thousand (50,000) population, all such licensed wrecker operators located near or in the city limits of such cities shall be considered as being equal distance and shall be called on an equal basis as nearly as possible.
3. C. Any officer of the Department who has been requested by a person in need of wrecker or towing service to call a specific wrecker or towing service for such person, and who calls a different wrecker or towing service other than the one requested, without the consent of such person, except where hazardous conditions exist, shall be suspended from the Department, without compensation, for a period of thirty (30) days, except in instances where a vehicle is removed from the roadway under the authority of paragraphs 3 and 4 of subsection A of this section.

Laws 1970, SB 214, c. 323, § 5; Amended by Laws 1982, HB 1778, c. 170, § 4, eff. October 1, 1982; Amended by Laws 1995, HB 1939, c. 50, § 6, emerg. eff. April 10, 1995.